Graham 'Polly' Farmer State Funeral

Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer was one of the greatest footballers Australia has ever seen.

The ruckman who changed the game during stints at East Perth, Geelong and West Perth has been farewelled in a State funeral today after passing away aged 84 on August 14 following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Master of ceremonies Russell Woolf told the more than a thousand mourners assembled that Polly Farmer’s family wanted the day to be a celebration of Polly’s life.

“For the last little while Polly was not well and even though it is hard to say these things sometimes, the fact is there must be some relief in the knowledge he has been released,” he said.

“Hopefully straight into the arms of his wife Marlene who died four years ago.”

Despite playing for bitter rivals in WA and Victoria and East Perth and West Perth, Mr Woolf said Farmer transcended the sport to bring people together.

“Everyone that had Polly in their team was proud to have him,” he said.

“We are happy to share Polly. Who has the power to bring rivals together in that way?

“We have a Freeway named after him, and the tunnel colloquially known as Polly’s Pipe joins East Perth to West Perth. Makes sense doesn’t it?

“Today we remember the kindness, the sparkle in his eyes. We honour his talents, his leadership and his generosity.

“Today we are putting our arms around his three children and their families and saying thank you for sharing Polly with us.”

Premier Mark McGowan said Polly Farmer was the first WA footballer to receive a state funeral, a move overwhelmingly supported across the community and country.

Premier Mark McGowan speaks at 'Polly' Farmer's funeral.

The West Australian

VideoPremier Mark McGowan speaks at 'Polly' Farmer's funeral.

Mr McGowan said although Farmer was faced with racial vilification, he never allowed the discrimination to prevent him from reaching his goals.

“We should not forget Polly Farmer was captain of Geelong for three seasons before he and the rest of the Aboriginal population were even counted as citizens,” he said.

Polly himself said one of the great problems with life is you have pecking order, and the pecking order in Australia has always seen the Aboriginal race at absolute bottom.

“But when it comes to football, Polly was at the peak of the mountain. The Impact of Polly on WA and Western Australians cannot be underestimated.”

Treasurer Ben Wyatt said Polly took three middling teams in East Perth, Geelong and West Perth and turned them into champions, a legacy that continued through the work of the Graham Farmer Foundation.

He said Polly elevated everyone around him.

“That is what Polly expected of us all, “ he said.

Guests and dignitaries arrive at the funeral.

The West Australian

VideoGuests and dignitaries arrive at the funeral.

Daughter Kim Farmer said to her and her siblings Polly was just Dad – although she conceded the family’s life did revolve around football.

She said one of her earliest memories was being at Leederville Oval on a Saturday afternoon.

“I’d be getting crushed in the crowd by people waiting to get his autograph,” she said.

Ms Farmer said lacking parents of his own, her father was not a perfect parent.

“Dad didn’t have a parenting model to follow but he must have instinctively known because he did provide for us, he did love us all and he was a strong and gentle parent,” she said.

“In his last few days I talked to him about how he had taken care of us all, that he had done life work as husband, father and grandfather.”

She revealed she resorted to whispering his heady football statistics into his ear in his final hours but Polly continued to stubbornly hold on.

“After nearly a week in hospital we thought we might need a recording of the final siren to get him to finally leave the field,” she joked.

He was humble, he was kind, he was loving, he was forgiving and he was loyal.

Ms Farmer said the Polly Farmer Foundation was her father’s lasting legacy.

“Dad wasn’t a man to sing his own praises and his life achievements speak for themselves. In the same way Polly Farmer Foundation has been quietly achieving for many years,” she said.

Fred Chaney, the vice president of the Graham (Polly) Farmer Foundation, said Farmer had little doubt about what he was hoping to achieve through its work.

“Polly gave us very clear and direct instruction about what this was going to be about,” Mr Chaney said.

“He said we’ve got to help young Aboriginal people succeed – that was his only goal.

“What was deeply impressive was that he was so focused on the needs of others. He didn’t want this foundation for himself, he wanted it for the coming generations.”

Mr Chaney said Aboriginal students spent a long time as little more than afterthoughts in Australian schools.

“Students in local state schools were previously doomed to failure,” he said.

“The success of each student (helped by the foundation) is the fulfilment of Polly Farmer’s dream and perhaps his most important legacy.

“We are so proud of what our students achieve and Polly was so proud of them too.”

Ken McAullay, who played against Polly Farmer before he was coached by him at West Perth, said Farmer was on another planet to everyone else on the football field.

“He was prepared for war and he set himself to be the best man on the ground in every game he played,” he said.

Mr McAullay said the very serious football also possessed a mischievous streak and wicked sense of humour.

“I remember he once asked state selector John Todd to climb onto the roof of a very old Adelaide Grandstand armed with a walkie-talkie so he could send messages down to Pol from above.

“After one message in the first quarter Pol turned the walkie-talkie off. He was the coach and didn’t need any distractions.”

Mr McAullay said Farmer was always conscious and thankful for the huge amount of support he received from his fans and the community at large.

Polly Farmer’s son Dean said he had little doubt his father would have succeeded at whatever he set out to achieve.

“He had amazing self-discipline, self-motivation and competitiveness — which I found out in my teenage years trying to beat him at table tennis,” Mr Farmer said.

“It was very difficult going up against a brick wall.”

Mr Farmer said although most people recognised his father through his incredible feats on the football field, they loved him for his nature off of it.

“He was humble, he was kind, he was loving, he was forgiving and he was loyal,” he said.

“Dad never took himself too seriously. He was happy to give anyone who wanted to meet him the time of day.

“I can honestly say I never heard him say a bad word about anyone.”

Big believers in the importance of schooling, Mr Farmer said his dad strived to ensure his children had opportunities that were not open to him.

“(All three kids) were given a good education and went on to complete university degrees. He gave us what he never had – which was choice,” he said.

“He once mentioned to me when I was studying that had he grown up in other circumstances he may have chosen a career other than football, as difficult as that might be to believe.”

Earlier, Richard Walley performed the Welcome to Country, describing Polly Farmer as a proud Noongar but also a fantastic individual who brought people together in many different ways.

“(The Burswood Peninsula) is a place people came to together to gather to celebrate as a people from pre-contact to today, so it is fitting we are here,” he said.

The Farmer family left a message of gratitude in the funeral service booklet.

“Our family would like to say how grateful we are to the myriad of people who were involved in bringing this State Funeral for our Dad to fruition. You have all been amazing and generous in every way.

“To everyone for your attendance here today, it is a great comfort to know we are surrounded by the love and the thoughts of everyone whose life our much-loved Dad has touched, as we pay tribute, share our memories and reflect on the lasting legacy he leaves behind.”